Javier Bardem, Salma Hayek & More Join Sally Potter’s New Drama

Javier Bardem, Salma Hayek & more join Sally Potter’s new drama

According to Deadline, Academy Award-winning actor Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and Golden Globe award-nominated actress Salma Hayek (Frida, The Hitman’s Bodyguard) have been tapped to join in director Sally Potter’s next drama film which centers around a wild day in the life of a man on the edge, held together by the unconditional love of his daughter.

In addition to Bardem and Hayek, Emmy Award-winning actress Laura Linney (Frasier, Ozark) along with Elle Fanning (Super 8, Teen Spirit) and Chris Rock (Grown Ups) have also been cast for the untitled feature.

“We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with Sally Potter and to help her realise this mesmerising story of one man’s life distilled into a day in New York. We’re also particularly excited to be partnering under a worldwide deal with our colleagues at Bleecker Street who share our taste in cinema.” HanWay Films’ Vice Chairman Peter Watson said.

HanWay Films and Bleeker Street will be handling the worldwide sales of Potter’s forthcoming film with HanWay handling the international distribution while Bleeker Street handles the film’s US theatrical distribution.

“It’s such an honor to get to work with a visionary filmmaker like Sally Potter. She has crafted a beautiful and affecting script, and assembled an incredibly diverse and talented cast to bring it to life. We’re so excited to be partnered with our friends at HanWay, and look forward to working with them to share this film with audiences around the world.”Bleecker Street’s CEO Andrew Karpen added about the project.

The untitled drama will follow the story of the 24 turbulent hours in the life of father and daughter Leo (Bardem) and Molly (Fanning) as she grapples with the challenges of dealing with her father’s apparently chaotic mental state. As they weave their way around New York City, their ordinary but stressful day takes on a hallucinatory and epic quality as Leo is flowing in and out of several parallel lives; a passionate marriage with his childhood sweetheart Dolores (Hayek) in Mexico; a struggling career as a drummer in Manhattan with his more successful lover, Adam (Rock); and a life of solitude on a remote Greek island, where a chance encounter with two young tourists unmasks some uncomfortable truths.

Christopher Sheppard, who is Potter’s frequent producing collaborator, will also be serving as the film’s producer through his Adventures Pictures banner. The film was put into development by BBC Films and the BFI with funding coming from HanWay Films, Bleecker Street, BBC Films and the BFI along with Ingenious Media, Chimney Pot Sverige AB and Film i Väst.

Production for the film had already begun in Spain and is also scheduled to shoot on January in New York City.